Honesty with your Employer’s Money

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I have handled money as part of my employment for thirty-five years. Over that time, I have seen a lot of news stories about people who started using the money they handle as if it were their own. Many of them have been members of my own small community.

There was the County Treasurer who took money and covered it up by failing to enter county money into the books. There was the bank teller who replaced large bills in the bank safe with smaller ones in the middle. (Of course, she began by borrowing money and then repaying it; but soon she could no longer catch up.) At least two officials of our small city borrowed from the city’s funds and eventually got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

One local official of a federal government operation purchased some things his department didn’t need and installed them in his home or sold them for a profit. Another local man embezzled a lot of money from a private company, primarily to support a pornography habit.

Of course, you read about these cases in national news all the time as well. We hear about the crime when the perpetrator gets caught, but my theory is that THEY ALWAYS GET CAUGHT.

As an honest worker, I know that when you’re handling money that belongs to your employer, you shouldn’t think of it as money at all. It is just a tool of your trade. As for borrowing it… No. No. No.

There is, my friends, a rule that can protect you from your own worst nature. The rule is No deviance. No compromise. No excuses. Total, complete, transparent honesty!

There is no small dishonesty. Stealing or misusing of company, county or city funds is a crime. If you are in a position that requires handling money, make sure you never compromise. Always be scrupulously honest. If you find a penny on the floor, put it in the till. As long as you never “borrow” a single penny from your employer, you’ll never go to jail for stealing thousands.